Darn Meddling Kids
by theblondeknight45
Summary: There are always monsters to chase, mysteries to solve. Shaggy Rogers used to do a lot of that, but the years have gone by and now a new group of teens have begun chasing those monsters and solving those mysteries. It just so happens they're also in Shaggy's care. A Shaggy-centric One-Shot about a possible future. Follows the main SD timeline, as in the shows from the 60s to 00s


Darn Meddling Kids

The night was quiet, calm, and restful until a loud and unceremonious beeping broke through it. A shaky, pale hand stumbled around to find the pair of glasses that sat on the nearby nightstand; after retrieving them, the hand moved to find the beeping alarm and switched it off. Mornings were never easy, not as a kid, not as teenager, not as a young man, and not even as a senior citizen.

Shaggy Rogers, now aged 62, shivered as he put his feet on the cold wooden floor and wrapped the faded red blanket around himself. He blinked several times and moved is tongue around inside his mouth. The alarm was still lit up in a deep blue and he took hold of it, bringing it closer to himself and staring into it for a moment.

His home was always freezing but waking up at 3 AM only brought on a new kind of cold. Reluctantly, he located his slippers with his feet and got out of bed. He passed by a large mirror as he exited his bedroom and it reflected his age; his once vibrant and sure dusty blonde hair had faded to an ashy gray and wrinkles had found a home on his face. He was likely a bit skinnier than 45 years back, but overall, he had aged well.

He crept downstairs, still shivering, and every wooden step creaked as his old feet walked down them. His house was old, older than he was in fact though by how much he did not know. It remained as empty as it had been when he purchased it over 15 years ago. The furniture sat alone in the dark and the walls were filled with minimal decorations. Usually it was a bit less depressing, but it was home to him, and his luck had certainly improved over the years. No ghosts haunted his house, and no criminal scheming had tainted his walls.

He grabbed a large coat and put it on, but he did not yet discard the blanket. He also found a pair of old pants that he put on atop his pajama bottoms. He found his keys sitting on the table, illuminated by the sparkling moonlight that pierced through his living room window.

His only form of long range transportation these days was an old work truck that was in need of minor engine repairs, new interior functionality, and a better paint job. Shaggy flipped on the heater but it strained to work, so he was content to bundle himself inside the blanket and drive off out of the secluded woodland area he had come to inhabit.

The dirt road paved a twisted and windy path out of the patches of grass and trees and soon enough he was back on paved road, inside the city that used to be called Coolsville. Time had changed quite a bit from his the spring of his youth. He passed the old Malt Shop, long since closed down and reused (though it was currently abandoned again) on his way.

An abundance of places like technology stores and megamalls had sprung up where libraries, drive in theaters, and a park or two had been. Very few people were out, and most of them were driving, but driving or walking the people under 30 all seemed to have their hands on a cell phone or some music playing device.

Finally he reached the police station, somewhat empty but still abundant with cops, some of whom were just like the pedestrians, on some technological device. He left the blanket in the car and hurried himself into the station, trading a familiar and swift greeting with the cops at the door.

"Ah, Mr. Rogers," The cop at the desk greeted, putting down and file and smiling with more comfort and understanding that most cops were capable of giving, "I'm glad you're here."

"I'm really sorry about all this," Shaggy greeted in return, smiling back and scratching the side of his face as more of a nervous reflex than anything else.

"Well, compared to some of the culprits we find, they're no trouble. Just by coming down here again you've shown that you're a man of integrity and honor," The cop from the desk, Officer Gordon replied, getting up from his post and leading him down into the interior, to the holding cells.

"Where were they this time?" Shaggy inquired as the two passed a group of cops interacting with two middle aged men who were clearly drunk.

"Down at the construction site near where the old barn used to be, you know, nearby the oldest bank around the Coolsville area?"

"Oh, sure…" Shaggy let his subconscious take over the walk as his mind retreated to the school dance he had at the very same barn. What a night…what a night…

"Once again their only charge is trespassing. Given the circumstances though, I'm afraid we can't be so lenient next time," Officer Gordon informed the older man as he retrieved the cell key from his waist.

"I've tried to keep them inside…darn kids, huh?"

"Do you honestly believe their stories about chasing ghosts?"

Shaggy opted not to respond, but once more let his mind wander until the kids were brought out. Teenagers never seemed as bitter or angry as when they were picked up from the police station by their guardian.

"Hey, Old Man…" One of the three greeted with an unenthusiastic wave of his hand and a roll of his eyes.

Jimmy Jones, the grandson of Fred and Daphne. Old Freddy was out writing novels somewhere in Europe while Daphne was out in the Pacific Ocean, interacting with the company she had been a part of for two decades or so. Their son, Jimmy's dad, was out in the military and Jimmy's mom had passed away not so long after he was born. The buff blonde really did possess an uncanny resemblance to Fred Jones.

Beside young Jimmy was his best friend, Tanner, the son of the couple that ended up adopting Scrappy Doo's puppies. Shaggy only knew the pups were eventually sent away elsewhere, and at this point, Scrappy was long gone; still, it would have been nice to see his pups as grown dogs. Tanner's parents were almost constantly away on business trips or legal matters, leaving Tanner in the care of Shaggy so he could be around his best friend more often. Tanner was a real spitfire, even more so than Jimmy, and the two drove their own mystery business along with Kayla.

Kayla was the daughter of Velma Dinkley's niece. Kayla's parents were killed in a car crash and Velma was, unfortunately, living in a special care home in the Midwest, having lost the use of her legs in her late 20s, perhaps early 30s. Kayla was a bit less driven, but enjoyed hanging around the two boys, and together the three were a nearly unstoppable force to deal with.

"Alright kids, thank the officer for letting you go and pile into the truck," Shaggy ordered in a calmed, almost indifferent voice.

"Yeah…thanks…" Tanner muttered as he left with the other two, neither of whom gave any verbal thanks.

"Solving mysteries…what an odd bunch," Gordon commented when the teens were out of earshot.

"They take after their folks," Shaggy replied with a soft smile, joining Officer Gordon on the way back to the front desk.

"I'm glad they have you as a role-model, Mr. Rogers, goodness knows they need someone to pull them out of the world of ghosts and ghouls. Life isn't concerned with those kinds of things; it just doesn't work that way…"

"Yeah…coming out of phases like that is tough alright…" Shaggy admitted as he signed the release paper, taking his leave thereafter.

Upon entering the truck he found the teens were all silent in the cab behind the driver's seat. They dared not look at him, but showed no signs of fear, more so irritation.

The truck choked to life and Shaggy began driving away at a steady but slow pace, waiting only a small moment before he spoke.

"Well, what was it this time? A flying Scotsman ghost playing the bagpipes? A ghost alien with a shrieking laugh? Maybe a pair of phantoms that sprung out of the tub?"

"We don't need you to patronize us, Old Man," Tanner replied in more of a pouty tone than Shaggy expected.

"We were just looking into something strange, okay Uncle Shaggy?" Kayla said quickly afterwards.

"There's nothing wrong with looking into strange things, or being excited by something that you can't understand or explain, but the law is the law, kids. You've got to respect it."

"But we had no choice, Old Man, we had to find the ghost and trap him before he could get away!" Jimmy protested.

"Maybe it would be better to leave the ghost alone?" Shaggy offered.

"Do you really believe that, Uncle Shaggy?" Kayla questioned, taking the initiative to stare directly into Shaggy's tired eyes.

"Look, kids, I know I can't stop you from doing this-"

"So _why_ are you?" Jimmy interrupted.

"Because…I made a promise…a promise to look after you three. I can't just break my promise and let you kids run wild, ghosts or no ghosts. I don't want to take away your freedom, but I want you kids to stay safe."

"I think you still need to get over your old age…" Tanner muttered just barely under his breath.

Shaggy's truck shook as the engine choked for a moment and they were carried back onto the dirt path.

"Ok, we'll be home in a few minutes. Get yourselves ready to sleep."

"What, we have to go to bed?" Tanner asked with disbelief.

"It's 3 AM, where else would you go?"

"Why are you trying to control us," Tanner demanded, "you say you aren't trying to, but you are. Why should we listen to a washed up old man with no real career and dog issues!?"

Shaggy slammed on the brakes and stopped the truck abruptly, remaining silent, but crossing his eyes into slits that conveyed his frustration more than any words could.

"I'm sorry Uncle Shaggy, he didn't mean that!" Kayla exclaimed, a hand resting nervously on her chin.

"Yeah, please Old Man, don't be too mad, we're just upset." Jimmy affirmed.

Shaggy refused to say anything instead opting to shut off the truck, take his keys, and walk away to his house. It was very close by and no one travelled along those roads most of the time anyways.

He left behind the three kids, knowing they wouldn't go and cause more trouble tonight; the police could intimidate them more than Shaggy could, and that was okay for the time being. They all needed to cool off.

Once back upstairs he entered his room and locked the door. He set down his glasses back on the table, and exchanged them for an old, slightly tattered blue dog collar.

As much as he hated to admit it, Shaggy never moved on after Scooby died. It was a tough week…tough month…hmm…tough year. He and Scooby had done almost everything since they were children together; how could someone just bounce right back after losing such a close friend?

After his years of amateur sleuthing had ended he settled into a job at an accounting firm, but that didn't last long. There were periods of being in and out of town, working everywhere he went to get by and experience life. Inside the town, he worked for the Coolsville news station for a time, drove a city bus, became a plumber in a nasty but short lived adventure, and collected a seemingly endless amount of experience in all kinds of jobs. His most successful and long lasting was that of a restaurant manager, a position he held for almost seven years.

Still, Scooby was at least there most of the time, and they did fun things all the time, hanging around the other members of the gang whenever the two were in town, but eventually they all left for other things. They all stuck to one path and became successes, and they left Coolsville, and Shaggy and Scooby, behind.

The two friends were left with little more than memories and an occasional letter or telegram. They grew closer by necessity, but they were aging too. They lived life to its full potential until Scooby couldn't go on living anymore, and died.

Shaggy was in an upheaval. So many memories, so many emotions, all crashed down into a mess of tears and isolation. From then on, he was lost in life. He didn't know what to do with himself or if he should leave the place behind or not. He was a mess, plain and simple. He had reached his mid-life crisis.

He was a jack of all trades, so to say, but he had no motivation and he fell into a state of depression for a while. The medications helped some, but he was still very much lost and confused for a couple of years. By that time, he could really only keep doing what he was doing, moving from job to job and living life the only way he knew how, minus the company of his good friend.

He saved his money, chipped away at life with less time spent on being social or overly active, and lived on to find himself the home he was currently living in. He had to have a lot of time to adjust, but his life wasn't completely hopeless without Scooby or the gang there.

Even then, though, he knew he didn't handle it as well as was hoped, and it was now too late to change that. He grew older, wiser perhaps, but he still had some issues.

And now these kids were thrust into his life. He had to watch over them as they experienced the best years of their lives, adventuring out in the wild and solving mysteries in town. They were the best of times and the formed the greatest of memories.

The slam of the door woke him from his dreamy state and he put the collar on the bed beside him as he walked over to the rocking chair in the corner of the room.

He sat alone, in the silence for a while, and rocked himself back and forth, listening to the three teenagers talking below him, and later on, more quietly in the halls outside his room.

They were kids living out the best age of life, kids with nothing to lose and no ability to appreciate it, to really and truly know how special and significant it was. Those darn kids…

They were always on the horns of some great case, always chasing monsters that may or may not have even been there. It brought a smile to his face just thinking about it.

Morning would dawn soon, and some things would need to be patched up, but Shaggy really couldn't express how glad he was to have them there. Fred, Daphne, Velma…whatever they were doing or thinking about, they could not quite feel the same way as he did about these kids, and he would make sure to try and tell them the next time he had the chance.


End file.
